Alleged drug cartel member Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala says he offered to pay R5-million towards the rescue of missing farmer Jerry Boshoga if the family agreed to meet him halfway.
He said he went to Boshoga’s father-in-law, asking that he also pay the remaining R5-million. The father-in-law said he should be killed if he is ever kidnapped because he will not pay any money.
Matlala made the remarks while testifying before the Parliamentary Ad Hoc committee probing allegations made by KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner Lt-Gen Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi.
Boshoga mom fingers Matlala in abduction
During the session, EFF leader Julius Malema urged Matlala to direct a message to Boshoga’s mother, who believes he was involved in her son’s disappearance.
“Jerry’s mom called me and asked me that I must ask you to return her son. Because she believes very strongly that you kidnapped her son. And she cries in tears because she says she knows you. And she has given you a plate of food, to her you are a child,” said Malema.
Matlala insisted that Boshoga’s mother is being misled into thinking he played a role in the abduction. He said the same people who have landed him in prison have now influenced both her and Boshoga’s wife.
He maintained that he immediately began searching for Boshoga when he heard the news. But he claimed the family remained uncomfortable with telling the truth because they feared damaging their own image.
Claims victim was involved in drug dealing
Matlala has previously stated that Boshoga was involved in drug dealing when he went missing. He said he had gone to fetch materials for manufacturing. This information was confirmed by Boshoga’s brother when he called to explain that his brother went missing.
“Even myself I was tired of looking for someone but lying to the police on the other side,” said Matlala.
In a direct message to Boshoga’s mother, he said: “Mama you know very well that me and your son are very close friends. We’ve done a lot of things together, travelled together… there is nothing I would do to harm your son. Actually, your son was like a young brother to me.
“There are people trying to get between us. Trying to convince you that I took your son so that you might think of me as this person that people paint me to be. From the bottom of my heart, I have never, and I will never, ever, do anything to harm your son and your family.”
Boshoga went missing in November last year, and Matlala has been a suspect. The police raided his house on December 6 looking for Boshoga.
White sheet implicates Matlala
Although he was not found, Witness C in the Madlanga Commission said the white sheet seen in Boshoga’s ransom video was found in one of the rooms occupied by a general worker. According to the testimony, this white sheet was manually tied and used as a curtain.
When asked to relay a message to the kidnappers, Matlala said it is not good for people to sleep when they do not know the whereabouts of their loved ones.
“What we need now is closure, whether they have him — they must just release him because he is diabetic. I don’t think wherever he is, he is in good health. If they did something to him, still, let them give us a sign somewhere. To at least have closure,” said Matlala.
